21 Jul 2014

Midsummer in the Lofoten Islands

I've seen the midnight sun before a few times, and there is something exciting about it to begin with. For a photographer, however, it's not the best time of year to visit the Arctic - unless, that is, you enjoy staying up all night. The days are bright (if there is any sunshine, of course) and the golden hours come between 10.30pm and 3.30am - not the ideal time for any normal being. There is no dawn or dusk, no blue hour, no dark skies. But I didn't visit the Lofoten Islands over midsummer for a dedicated photography trip; it was a last-minute holiday grabbed with my husband, and we both enjoyed it very much - speeding ticket aside, so I mustn't complain too much.

Crepuscular Rays over the Norwegian Sea at Kvalvika Beach

The Lofoten Islands are a small chain of islands just north of the Arctic circle in Norway, with magnificent peaks that jut out at steep angles from the sea. Getting there is no easy feat - requiring at least an internal flight from Oslo, and then either a long drive in an expensive rental car, another short hop in a plane, or a not-very-conveniently-timed boat-trip from the mainland. We chose the first option, flying from Oslo into a little airport called Evenes or Harstad/Narvik, from where we rented a car, stayed overnight in Bogen nearby, before embarking on the long drive south-west through Hinnøya (Norway's fourth-largest island) before arriving in the Lofoten Islands themselves.

The view from our hotel, Evenes Fjordhotel, near Bogen

We spent our second night in the town of Svolvær, the largest settlement on the islands, after driving for a few hours through pleasant scenery. Svolvær is a nice-enough town with an array of impressive mountains in the distance (including the islands' highest peak - Higravstinden, at 1,161m), a harbour, a few restaurants, some swanky hotels, and place to take boat-trips around the surrounding fjords. We took a drive around the area, stopping at the local aquarium to see the bizarre-looking wolf-fish, before taking a loop drive around the northern part of Austvågøya past the lighthouse at Laukvik. The weather had deteriorated as the day had gone on and the peaks were now shrouded with an ethereal fog. Our fingers froze in the fierce cold winds at the lighthouse. About 20km before getting back to Svolvær we were pulled over by a traffic cop hiding in a driveway behind a bush and fined a whopping 4,200 krone (about £420 or $715) for driving 66kmph in a 50. It somewhat ruined Svolvær for us, and we were glad to leave the following morning (having gone through the arduous exercise of actually trying to pay the damned fine - you have to pay cash at the police station - they don't accept foreign cards).

Laukvik Lighthouse

Misty hills on the north side of Austvågøya

The view from our hotel, Thon Lofoten, in Svolvaer

On the way south the road goes through endless tunnels and over steep bridges. We made a short stop at Unstad beach, not far from Leknes - the other reasonable-sized town - on the way to Hamnøy, where we had rented a rorbu (fisherman's cabin) for 4 nights. At Unstad a surf-lesson was going on, and I took a few long exposure shots of massive rocks at the far edge of the beach, with the sun peaking out briefly.

Long exposure at Unstad Beach

From there we continued onwards, but our journey was slowed considerably by summer roadworks on the road just outside of Hamnøy. The road is being rebuilt, with massive open-sided tunnels being built to protect the road from the frequent boulder falls from the mountains above. The road is closed for about 15 minutes while they blast a few rocks, and then each line of traffic is guided through in turn. Throughout the summer nights they close the road between 11pm and 1am and then again from 2am until 5.30am while they continue working in the available light. I hope the works will be finished soon, as it definitely impedes one's ability to explore the area.

We spent our first full day hanging out in the delightful rorbu (see my earlier blog on our first rainy day there). Wifi helped us while away the hours, and I did manage to get a few shots of the mountains across the fjord, in spite of the horrible weather. The winds rattled the rorbu but we felt safe and snug inside. Gulls struggled to stay on their feet on the rocks outside the cabin.

Looking out at our neighbours as the rain fell...

A large herring gull tries to stay upright in the gusty winds

The sun briefly came out in the early evening over Lilandstinden, one of the peaks above the cabin.

The following day the weather was considerably better so we did a wonderful hike up from Sørvgen to the Munkebu Huts (thanks to Cody Duncan and his wonderful site www.68north.com for all the detailed information about hikes in the Lofotens). It took us a little longer than anticipated and skies cleared as we reached the huts. The hike back down was glorious - the views throughout the trek are fantastic.

Some hikers below us on the way down from the Munkebu Huts

Murray crossing some late snow just above the Munkebu Huts

One of the many picturesque small lakes on the way up to the Munkebu Huts

A view down to a bridge on the E10 between Reine and Sørvågen

When we returned from the hike the sun was just above the Olstind peak opposite the cabin and poured spectacular rays across the hills as it moved slowly northwards.

The next day we decided to do an evening hike to Kvalvika beach, hoping to catch some real midnight sun (although it doesn't actually face due north, so it wouldn't have happened anyway!), so we took it easy during the day and headed back down to the charming village of Å, at the end of the E10, where we had a short stroll and then managed to locate the bakery and scoffed a couple of their delicious cinnamon rolls, chatting to a couple of intrepid young American guys who were travelling around the region by public transport, and camping along the way.

Picturesque traditional buildings in Å

Delicious cinnamon rolls at the bakery in Å, part of the museum there

We set off towards Kvalvika in the late afternoon - via the laborious roadworks - and ate in Ramberg, a pleasant little place with a long white beach. Heavy clouds sat above the hills in the direction that we were planning to hike.

The long expanse of white sand at Ramberg

We then drove back and across the bridges towards Fredvang, where we parked the car and set off on our trek. To get to Kvalvika beach you have to hike up about 200m, taking about an hour, before a steep hike down to the beach. It is worth it, though, as it's quite an impressive beach, split into two with some boulders inbetween. The sea was an incredible green colour, only visible at its best briefly as the sun peaked through from the clouds. My husband explored each beach (finding a few plastic bins and fish containers from random towns in the UK) while I set up the tripod and took a few long exposure shots (my favourite!). There were some pretty crepuscular rays seeping out over the sea, but the midnight sun was not going to appear.

Even without sunshine the sea appears amazingly green. This is the northerly of the two beaches at Kvalivka; 25 second exposure

After clambering across the rocky area between the two beaches I took a few long exposures of the southerly beach at Kvalvika; this is a 1.3 second exposure

By the time we'd left the beach and climbed the massive hill the golden hour had arrived, although the sun was still behind clouds to the north. The views from the pass were lovely in both directions.

Nice light looking back over Kvalvika beach once we reached the top of the pass

Sunset light over the mountains to the east seen from the top of the pass on the way back from Kvalvika

Once we'd got back down the other side we'd already missed our window-of-opportunity to reach the road while it was open. We took a drive around a few fjords to kill time, knowing we needed to be back at the edge of the roadworks between 1 and 2am in order to get back to bed, so we couldn't go too far. We drove to a quaint little fishing village called Nusfjord where I took a few shots at midnight, before driving back, waiting to pass the works, and finally getting home at about 1.30am.

Picturesque Nusfjord at midnight

On our last full day in the islands we checked out of our lovely rorbu - nearly leaving our delicious juniper-smoked salmon in the fridge - and drove north-east again, stopping at the picturesque Haukland beach. The beach is also split into two parts and has pure white sand, and the sun actually came out while we were there. It was one of the prettiest beaches I'd ever seen - like a tropical beach but without the palm trees (and a wee bit colder too!).

The stunning Haukland beach

We continued through Leknes where we stopped for a delicious lunch of bacalao and fish curry at Johnsen's Fiskerestaurant. We hadn't know about the place but stumbled upon it - what a find!

We continues on to Henningsvær, another pretty fishing village with a backdrop of jagged peaks, via a lovely back-road with very few other cars around. Most of the Lofotens actually seems quite built-up, with houses dotted every few km along the E10 main road. It was nice to get off the beaten-track and feel a bit more remote. There were also far fewer Dutch camper-vans along that stretch.

We ate in a smart restaurant in town and finally tried a dish of semi-rehydrated stockfish (the dried cod that we'd seen hanging everywhere throughout the islands). It wasn't particularly nice, but we managed to eat most of it it! It was a nice little village to wander around, with typical old Scandinavian houses dotted around a couple of islands, connected with bridges. The place has lots of fishing and sailing boats, as well as being a centre for rock-climbing in the area. It also has a fantastic modern art gallery, which we visited the following morning before heading back to the airport, in an old converted caviar factory (Kavi Factory). Throughout the town one can also spot stencil graffiti by a local artist (Pobel) - a little bit like our own Banksy.

The view of Henningsvær from our hotel, the Finnholmen Brygge

Chairs outside the Kavi Factory in Henningsvær

A stencil graffiti work by the local artist Pobel, seen in the toilet in the Kavi Factory art gallery - worth nipping inside to have a look!

The drive back was long and slow - we didn't dare drive a km over the speed limit after the earlier incident, and in retrospect it would have been more efficient to fly into Bodø and then fly into Leknes from there, but I booked it in a hurry and didn't have time to do much research. While the scenery is still mountainous on Hinnøya it's certainly not as spectacular as the Lofotens themselves and the drive is a bit tedious at 80kmph (although there are a few stretches as you hit the mainland where it increases to an almost normal speed of 90kmph!).

I'm considering returning for my winter photography trip, to see the islands in better light, with snow and ice, with the golden hours at a reasonable time of the day, and of course with a chance to see the northern lights over the stunning peaks. I'm not sure if I can keep away from Iceland, though! We shall see; it's a long time until next March...

Six minute exposure of the view from our cabin, Thomas Bua (no.1) at Eliassen Rorbuer, taken at 12.35am